Moose End 2009 With 3-2 Win

December 31, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


The Manitoba Moose closed out 2009 with an exciting New Year's Eve performance at MTS Centre on Thursday afternoon in front of 11,820 spectators. Manitoba earned their first-ever victory against the Texas Stars with a 3-2 decision. Marco Rosa, Brian Salcido and Michael Grabner all notched goals for the Moose while Cory Schneider set aside 34 of 36 shots.

The Moose opened the scoring 1:59 into the match-up. Michael Grabner's initial shot was blocked by goaltender Matt Climie, but Marco Rosa smacked in the rebound to put his club in the first lead of the night.

Manitoba didn't enjoy their lead long, however, as Colton Sceviour danced around two Moose defenders and went top corner on Cory Schneider to get back on even ground 57 seconds later.

Luke Gazdic's tripping infraction at 10:25 put the home team on the first powerplay of the night. Despite bringing their shot count to 12 on the man-advantage, the Moose couldn't connect in the short two-minutes.

The Baby Stars earned their first powerplay when Travis Ramsey was forced to sit out for hooking at 1:53 of the second period. Strong penalty killing and sharp goaltending ensured the antler-crew escaped the disadvantage unscathed.

Texas found their way to the top at 13:39 when Travis Morin beat Schneider under his left goal pad, 2-1.

Four-on-four hockey paid off for the Moose with four minutes left in the middle frame. With a feed from Guillaume Desbiens, Brian Salcido drove the puck from inside the blue line and into the mesh to knot the game at two.

The Moose made it two-in-a-row when Michael Grabner fired a shot from the slot that trickled over the goal-line for a 3-2 lead heading into the final frame.

Manitoba was handed three consecutive penalties in the third period but Texas couldn't capitalize on any of those opportunities. Despite the last minute effort, the Stars couldn't tie it up and the Moose earned a 3-2 decision over the visiting Texans.

LOOKING AHEAD The Moose will open 2010 with a rematch against the Texas Stars at MTS Centre.

NEXT GAME Saturday, January 2, 2010 - 7:30 PM @ MTS Centre (7:30pm on CJOB Radio with Brian Munz & Jim Toth)



American Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2009


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